Home tie for Miners Rangers

LEIGH Miners Rangers were awarded a home draw in the first round of the Conference Challenge Trophy against Huddersfield Underbank Rangers.

The draw, which was made at the National Conference AGM last week, pits Miners against brand new opposition in the tie which will be played in May.

Underbank play in the Second Division of the league having won promotion last season and they have some pedigree in this competition having beaten Leigh East a few seasons ago before narrowly missing out to eventual semi-finalists Wath Brow.

One of the country’s most historic clubs, they have also fared strongly in the early days of the summer conference under the coaching of Swinton Lions’ Ritchie Hawkyard before joining the NCL when the amateur game moved en masse to the summer.

Meanwhile the Alliance and women’s teams are coming together nicely under new coaching teams. The Alliance will be led by two very familiar faces in local rugby as Chris Snape and Stuart Pugsley take the helm whilst the women’s team welcome charismatic Kiwi Cliff Tamou as their coach.

Cliff well-known as a referee in the amateur game has also been working in women’s and girls’ rugby for the last few years.